Killing termites in Sydney

Killing termites in Sydney and other towns and cities around New South Wales has become much more simple in the last few years with the advent of termite  baiting and  monitoring systems.

In essence a termite monitoring system is put in place to detect termites before they manage to attack a building. Once the termites are in the monitoring system then it is up to us to introduce a bait toxicant, which will ensure the eventual elimination of the termites.

The time taken to eliminate termites can vary substantially from colony to colony. Some of the variables are,

1 species of termite

2 size of the colony

3 distance to the colony from the bait site

4 time of year

With the most common species of termite in Sydney, that is, Coptotermes species, if the termites are fed the bait starting in spring, then we will often have colony elimination within 2 months. Some other species can take up to 12 months.

Occasionally we will see that it is necessary to use a different type of treatment because of the amount of time that it takes to colony elimination. Whenever we use a baiting system however, we find that we have colony elimination 100% of the time. Therefore whilst sometimes it can take a little longer than other methods it is generally the best method to use.

A monitoring system comprises only a few basic components. Arguably the most important part of the monitoring system is the inground station and the timber insert that sits within it. The inground station is made of a durable plastic which is buried in the ground with its top flush with the soil. A lockable lid is on top which when removed will reveal the timber insert. The timber insert is a specially designed piece of Eucalyptus Regnans which has been cut to have a large surface area. The timber inserts are highly palatable to termites.

The in ground monitoring stations are placed in the ground around 3 m apart. Once the stations are installed, regular inspections of them must be undertaken. When termites are noticed within the stations the bait toxicant can be added and colony elimination will start again.

Once colony elimination has been achieved timbers in the station are renewed and the monitoring inspections start once again.

Termite baiting in Sydney

Termite baiting is certainly proving to be an outstanding leader in the field of termite colony elimination. When it comes to eliminating a termite colony there are few choices really.
The choice of a system to protect your home is very important as not all systems are designed to work in all homes. Much research should go into which system best suits your particular home. A professional can usually sum this up in next to no time, so if you have a technician that you trust take his advice. There is a lot more behind termite control products than the layman might think.

• Baiting, feeding a palatable substance to the termites that they will willingly transport back to the colony and share it as a food source.
• Dusting, introducing by stealth a toxic dust that will adhere to the bodies of termites and inadvertently be transported to the colony where members of the colony may come into contact with the toxicant as they groom each other thereby possibly ingesting the dust.
• Nematodes, an extremely small creature that can be introduced into the termite workings where it can then try to do what nematodes do, and enter the termite and cause death by eating the gut and other parts of the termite.

Baiting termites has become a %100 positive solution for controlling termites in Sydney. When the system is installed correctly and maintained in the correct way there are no failures.

Hundreds of termites dead and alive in a bait station

This photograph of a termite bait station was taken after the termites had been feeding on the bait for eight weeks. In the top right hand corner of the station you can see masses of termites huddled together, these termites are all very near death as they have consumed plenty of the toxicant designed to eliminate the colony.
In the bottom left corner when you look closely you will find that many of the termites here are dead and there is a "pile" of termite heads that have been "dumped after the rest of the colony cannibilised them.

Termite inspection in sydney

Termites in Sydney have been the focus of my business life for the last 20 years. I have been able to experience many different species of termites in vastly different situations through Greater Sydney. One theme has consistently shone through. I don't usually have panic stricken calls from people who have made it their business to properly maintain their home. The calls I get are from panic stricken people who often don't even know what a termite inspection is.
It is no wonder that many of these people suffer great psychological and financial damage when they finally discover by default that termites have decided to make a meal of their homes. Prevention is better than cure, yes I know we cannot all have a Chrystal ball, however when the scientists from the CSIRO have stated repeatedly that all of the Eastern seaboard of Australia is at high risk of termite attack it is up to us the public to take some heed. These warnings are not given lightly.
There are some simple steps to take to ensure that either your home is protected from termites.

1. Carry out regular termite inspections.
2. Carry out the recommendations contained in your inspection report.
3. Ensure that you have some form of termite prevention in place.
4. Make sure you have regular termite inspections.
   

Termite inspections are crucial

Termite inspections are a crucial part of the termite management systems built in to every home.even 100 years ago the termite management systems designed into a house were designed in such a way that without human interaction (inspection) they would fail.
An inspection is necessary to enable all functions in termite management

• Prevention
• Detection 
• Elimination

Without the initial inspection all of these functions can only blindly be carried out. For a homeowner to believe that they are adequately able to carry out an inspection is a pipe dream. Experienced pest control technicians struggle with termite inspection. It is truly a specialist field. In Sydney, termite inspections are carried out by many levels of technician. It takes only one week to become qualified to carry out termite inspection and treatment, there is no requirement for experience.

Cheap inspections are very readily available, avoid cheap like the plague. There is only one word that fits perfectly with cheap and that, is Nasty. It takes time to carry out a proper termite inspection and the time will vary dependent upon the size of the home and the complexity of its construction.

Ensure that you research any termite inspection or control company and see to it that they are appropriately skilled, qualified, licensed, insured and that the person who proves he is all of the preceding will be the one carrying out the work. For good measure if you require that anyone that you employ is a member of the AEPMA (the relevant industry association) and Pestcert (a body created to raise industry standards) then you will be well on your way to choosing a quality company.

Killing termites in Sydney

How do you kill termites?
There are three methods of killing termites that are available today. Two of these methods are tried and tested, have science to back them up and are the best choice. The other method goes outside the pesticide label (the law) and the Australian for termite control AS3660.2
The methods are

1. Baiting the termites to achieve colony elimination.
2. Dusting the termites to achieve colony elimination.
3. application of a liquid termiticide.

Here is a link to a video with a quick demonstration of how baiting works.

I will continue this post over the next few days.

Termites could be more prevalent this winter than ever

The weather in Sydney over summer has been much cooler and wetter than any other year in the last ten. For termites this can mean several things.

The summer months are usually when termites consume the greater portion of their food source than at other times of the year. Not having the warmer weather which can allow that, the termites may well be forced into higher than normal feeding patterns before winter as they need to increase their levels of stored foods for the cold times in winter when it is very difficult for them to forage.

Lower than average temperatures may see termites starting to become used to a smaller "harvest" and force them in to a situation where the "harvesting" will continue all year round.

One thing is absolutely certain, termites will not die out because of this small "blip" on our weather radar, they will prepare for the worst as all insects and creatures have the instinct to do.

One of the factors from all of this is that if termites need to find warmer areas then they will forage to do so. One such warmer area that exists at every second house is a hot water cylinder located on the ground or on a concrete slab on the ground. The radiated heat lost from the hot water system into the concrete and then the ground is just what the doctor ordered for termites, a consistent heat source available 24/7. Moving their colony under the hot water system could be a very efficient move for the termites. Of course right near every hot water system is a large food source, Wow how lucky can a termite get?

Regular termite inspection can ensure that your home has less conducive conditions for termites as the years pass rather than unknowingly letting these conditions build up over time and putting your home at risk of termite attack

Termites nesting in trees stumps and in cavities

Many species of termites live in and eat trees.
It stands to reason of course, termites eat timber, so trees are pretty fair game. Termites however do not eat live timber. The only parts of trees that termites eat are the heartwood which is already dead, (and the heartwood may in fact be contained in a very large area of the internals of the tree not just the trunk but also the branches and roots) and large areas of bark on the outer layers of the trunk which are probably ready to be shed by the tree.
The photo of a tree trunk here has a large deposit of a tan coloured substance in the centre. The substance is in fact a mixture of termite faeces and soil from the area around the tree that termites have put in place around a wounded area of the tree which of course was dead wood. Once the termites had covered the dead wood over they then ate it. This type of "mudding" found on the exterior of a tree is often indicative that a termite nest exists inside.
Once termites have eaten a portion of a trees' heartwood there will be a cavity left. A cavity inside a tree is a very suitable place for termites to nest as there are few predators that have access to it, there is only a short distance to a food source which is probably increasing in size, and if the termites use their heads they will be able tap into the trees moisture gathering abilities and really make life easy.

Thermal imaging in termite control sydney

Thermal imaging is used in termite control to detect termites on a very regular basis. Not all homes will lend themselves to thermal imaging however a competent termite inspector will be able to recommend the best course of action. Thermal imaging detects infra red radiation from the top 1/1000 of an inch of the surface that the camera is being pointed at. When termites are present there will usually be some thermal irregularity pointing to that fact. Because a thermal camera is only reading infra red radiation, it is not solely going to detect termites, any irregularity in infra red radiation will show up. This is the reason that a thermal inspection should only be carried out with a visual inspection and by a competent termite control technician. The representation on the screen of the thermal camera must be interpreted by the technician who can judge whether there is in fact a termite presence or whether some further tests may need to be carried out.

I have taken some video to demonstrate in an extreme case what may be seen with a thermal imaging camera. In this video is a home that did not need to have thermal imaging carried out to locate the termites but by having it done we were able to locate the centre of the termite colony and treat directly into it. Go to this page on Termite thermal imaging and scroll down to see the video.

Termites can and often do nest in Trees

Termites live in a community where there are several castes that all live together and each termite relies upon others for its very existence. They are similar to many other communal species of insect in their need for shelter, food and water. Today I will discuss shelter, a site to house the entire colony. Depending upon the age of the colony they may need a cavity the size of a football or they may need one much larger. A mature Coptotermes spp termite nest can contain up to two million residents, not all of them will be at home at any one time as they are 24 hour shift workers, but this will still demand a large area in which to house those termites carrying out duties such as looking after the young, tending and protecting the Queen, and those that are distributing food.
Often an area of around .5 of a cubic metre is found to be the area that the colony is inhabiting.
All Termite colonies start from a humble beginning of just two residents, the King and Queen, at the start they do not require a very large home but as their colony grows they must provide a larger premises or risk not being able to keep a healthy colony. Initially the colony may be housed at the base of a small tree, underground and not taking up much space. As the colony grows the workers can start to hollow out the heartwood of the tree which is in fact dead timber. The heart wood is a perfect food source and as the termites excavate it they are in fact able to extend the colony to fit into the space.
Trees are by no means the only place that termites can nest, they will be opportunistic and nest in any area resembling a hollow tree. This may be a small area such as a wall cavity of a house, or a large area such as the sub floor area of a fully enclosed patio. As long as the termites are able to ensure that they will be able to keep high humidity, are relatively safe from marauding ants and other creatures and are within striking distance of food.

Termite control

Termite control has been undergoing significant changes in Australia since 1995 when Organochlorine pesticides were taken off the market. Initially organophosphate pesticides were used as replacements with varied results as many technicians received no training on the very different way that these pesticides needed to be installed. Then over the last ten years several different termiticides have been released onto the market, all with proven performance when applied properly, the biggest downfall of all of these products is that there is room for applicator error. If the product is applied in any way incorrectly it will not do the claimed job and no manufacturer will warrant that. In the last five to ten years a new and different approach has been having success in controlling termites. Baiting systems have been implemented for controlling colonies of termites and monitoring systems have been successfully intercepting termites before they reach homes. These methods are low toxic, long term, 100% gauranteed and are certainly leading the choices in intelligent termite control.

Termite (white ant) control or inspection which is most important?

So what is what here? Is Termite treatment in a preventative way, or termite inspection, which is the best way to go for my home?

A termite treatment when carried out to the most precise label directions will not stop termites from entering the protected building. Termite treatments are designed to stop undetected termite access, in other words to make sure that when termites do enter a structure that they do so in such a way as to be able to be detected during inspection.

Termite inspections are carried out with the knowledge that termites will generally find the deepest darkest recesses to enter a structure. Many times the first signs of termite entry will be found between two bricks in the sub floor area of a home. Often this entry point will be under a bathroom or laundry where there is a leaky pipe which is supplying the termites with a moisture source. The gap between two bricks is pretty small, often ten mm or less so when taking in to account what size a house is, compared to what it is we are looking for, it bears great similarity to searching for a needle in a hay stack!

When chemical termite control has been carried out correctly, termites are far less likely to be able to take advantage of the hidden deep dark recesses and be much more easily found.

So inspection or treatment? Ideally both! That will give you long term protection from termites, and early detection when or if they do enter. If there is some reason that makes treatment out of reach,then have regular termite inspections and learn what the signs of termite incursion are so that you can also do intermittent checks yourself. This photograph shows a very well developed termite "lead" a mud shelter tube that termites build so that they can cross areas like this brick wall without having to enter our atmosphere. Even an inexperienced person should be able to find evidence this substantial however mostly what we are looking for is only pencil thin.

Termite control in Sydney using Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring

The Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring system is being widely used in Sydney. The reason for Nemesis being so widely used now is mainly down to its success rate. At Pestec we have a 100% success rate of gaining colony elimination when using the Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring system. This success can be attributed to many factors both within Pestec and in the manufacture of the bait and the rest of the system. Pestec has well documented procedures that ensure that all of our technicians follow the same process at all times when baiting. Consistency when first installing and then when replacing bait is imperative so that the termites continue to consume the bait once feeding has started. Ensuring that the bait is always mixed with the same amount of water is also a key to its success. Nemesis bait is produced under very strict conditions where the risk of contamination is minimised. The Nemesis in ground stations are a very well designed monitoring station that appears to be able to intercept termites more regularly than any other system.

Which Termite Control Product is Best? Is Sydney Different?

Termite treatment methods must vary from state to state and from area to area. Many Termiticides will have varying lengths of life and effectiveness dependent upon the soil type which they are introduced to. Very high alkaline soils have been proven to reduce the life and effectiveness of Chlorpyrifos based pesticides by up to five times. Very sandy soils are not at all good for the installation of chemical soil barriers as the molecules of the active ingredient find it difficult to bond to the sand particles, much more organic matter is needed in the soil for successful treatment and control. Clay soils present their own problems with it being very difficult to keep the pesticide from all running to a low point without evenly soaking in, and occasionally when good bonding to the soil has occurred a termite control treatment can be completely compromised if the clay dries out and does what clay does in dry conditions, and opens up, with large cracks which effectively give pathways through the treated areas.

There are some homes where these types of treatments are useful and can be the ideal termite control method, however they are few and far between. Ensure that you fully research all termite control methods before embarking on a method that may just be fruitless. Always take colony control measures first, this means killing the termite colony that is affecting your home. There are several approved methods of colony elimination including introduction of a termiticide dust to the termite workings, direct destruction of the colony and baiting

Termite Control Measures and the Home Owner

Termite control is not something that can be delegated to a pest control company and then forgotten about, you need to take responsibility for your own space. Leaving firewood stored against your home like in this photograph is an open invitation for termites.
Termites will forage around underground looking for what to them is a food source,and trying to find that food whilst keeping out of our environment. This means that they will be very secretive attacking timbers from below where you cannot see them until it is often too late. Often there are Water sources around homes that provide the termites with all of the moisture that they need. Moisture is a very important commodity to termites as they need very high humidity levels to survive. It is your responsibility as a homeowner to ensure that these high risk factors are minimised around your home.

What does a common termite in Sydney look like?

Not much that needs to be said about this video. Coptotermes species termites, a very damaging termite in Sydney and in fact all of the East coast of Australia. Sydney is home to quite a few different species of termite that are very voracious. The easiest way to tell the difference between an ant and a termite is to check how many body segments the insect has. Termites have two segments, a head and an abdomen, ants have three, a head, an abdomen, and a thorax. If you do have termites you will need some form of termite control. this may take one of several forms however the important thing is to do your research and ensure that you are employing a reputable company who has trained and qualified technicians

Five simple steps to low toxic termite (white ant) control in Sydney

1. Inspection. The only place to start any termite management plan. The inspection is how you learn where any termites are present, potential natural or physical control options, where the nest may be present if at all, and where the termites accessed the premises. During the inspection you will undoubtedly learn whether there are any inaccessible any e.g. under patios or stairwells that may need to have access organized to enable treatment.
2. Identification. Termites have many different species, of which we are only generally concerned with four or five of these. The differences in the species is extremely important when considering the various treatment options available, and when endeavoring to locate a nesting site as each species has different nesting habits.
3. Colony Elimination. There are various methods for colony elimination of termites dependant mainly on personal preference and sometimes budget.
· Application of a termiticide dust
· Placement of bait stations
· Direct destruction of the colony
· Physical barriers (often not able to be retro fitted)
4. Prevention of future attack. Ongoing prevention can be achieved chemically or non chemically. No termite prevention strategy is foolproof and all methods of control rely on regular competent inspection of the premises.
5. Regular inspection is the best way to avoid very expensive repair bills when termites manage to re enter your home, whilst you had a false sense of security in the termite prevention system that you have installed. All prevention systems can fail and for a myriad of reasons, therefore ongoing regular inspection must be carried out at appropriate intervals.

Stop termites from attacking your home naturally

There are many different commercially available methods of termite control and prevention. Very few of these will work if you do not have the basic groundwork of termite prevention in place and follow some simple guidelines.
1. Reduce any excessive stored materials around or under your home. A termites’ diet consists of anything that contains cellulose, this goes as far as to include boxes and books (made from paper which was originally a tree) furniture, which often used to be a tree, cottons and any other natural fibres as these contain a large percentage of cellulose and many other articles commonly used in furnishing and construction of our homes. If you continue to provide these materials in an easily accessible area right next to, or under your home, termites may well attack them, and once finished devouring them may well attack your home.
2. Reduce the number of readily available water sources around your home. Termites in Australia have a constant battle for survival in this the dryiest continent on earth. As homeowners we often inadvertently provide termites with easily accessible permanent moisture sources right next to the very thing we are trying to protect, our homes. Hot water systems, automatic garden watering systems and leaking taps or pipes are just a few of the culprits. Be aware of where these high risk areas are on your home and if you cannot remove the water source, reduce it and make sure to keep a close check on the area.
3. Carry out some research into the particular type of termite management system that your home was built with. All homes in Australia have been built with some form of termite control existing in them since 1972 and many homes built before that had physical methods of detection inbuilt. You can start your research by checking in the electrical meter box for a termite protection notice which will (if present) indicate whether physical, chemical or any other type of termite control method was carried out, it will also indicate what measures you will need to take to maintain the system. If no termite protection notice exists and you have no paperwork relating to termite control history, contact a professional pest management company for advice.
4. Ensure that your yard and garden is maintained with the least amount of waste timber, branches, leaf litter, mulch and other types of garden debris that can build up over time. All of these items are potential feeding sites for termites and can easily be a place for termite alates (winged reproductives) to start a new nest.
5. Have a regular inspection regime in place. Familiarise yourself with the signs that termites leave when they are around and ensure that you know how to identify termites. Forming a relationship with a professional pest management company is one of the best preventative steps that you can take as the advice specific to your property is invaluable and the ability to call upon a trusted advisor in a hurry gives great peace of mind.

Pestec Pty Ltd in Sydney is available on 1800 111 616 The termite experts http://www.pestec.com.au